I have been looking for a relatively affordable natural deodorant for ages. There was always one thing missing. Either the application was annoying - like applying with the fingers. It seems like it wouldn't be a big deal but I like a simple morning routine. Deodorant, shirt. That extra step to wash oil off hands was annoying. Then there was the super pricey $16/ounce option. Often the baking soda was too much and set off my PH.

Finally. A stick, for a nice price point and effective and a lovely smell. Bliss.

This lady

Her tutorials are addicting. I don't wear much makeup, often I wear none, but when I do, I have always used similar techniques, just not as skillfully applied. She has many brilliant tips. One that I have recently begun to put to practice is to NOT apply concealer right under lashes. A little shadow adds depth and also, if you have any wrinkles, concealer often highlights them by creating lines in the creases.

When I started this blog, I wanted it to be a serious space, mostly about design. A space separate from momlife. I was reading blogs that were exclusively about interior design and really wanted to manifest a career for myself in that sphere. However, that dream career is just not happening right now. With 3 kids under 5, I barely have time to write, let alone seek out clients and build a business. I haven't written regularly since beginning the blog, partly because I felt really tired during my most recent pregnancy (I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, my third, in April), partly because I just started writing for a friend's blog, Occidentalist.com, which has a very different vision and voice from this blog, and partly because I was trying to manifest a life that I'm not currently living. In planning posts for the blog, I felt that I was starting to lack authenticity. I was even thinking yesterday, maybe its time to close the url. It was great, I tried it, but it's just not going anywhere. Then, I stumbled upon a couple of new blogs that really inspired me. And this blog might not go anywhere, and I don't harbor some illusion that my voice is so interesting, my thoughts so unique that they must be shared. No, I just enjoy writing and sharing things I love with others. So, for as long as it seems useful or joyful, I will keep writing.

That is what I love about the blogs below. Some of these bloggers have a side hustle. Latonya, for example, is a stylist, Joanna Goddard has a blog that's so widely read that it IS her side hustle and House Inhabit is a full time mum, with no hyphen. But what is so attractive about these blogs is that the content is full of luminous, yummy images of women being women and moms enjoying their kids, but not confined by motherhood and not confined by a career, either. Women just being full and complete women. They feel authentic. Though the images are surely curated and Latonya always looks like a fashion icon, their blogs don't have a glossy, made for TV look. It looks and feels like they are just out and about enjoying life and creating incredible moments with their kids.

There seems to be a lot of negative energy around motherhood these days, whether it be the judge-iness that is the mommy wars, or the seemingly endless op-eds written by parents complaining about how hard the job is and that they miss their life before parenthood, it seems that much ink is spilled about the downsides of parenting. Kids change things, absolutely. And it can be a bit disorienting, at first, especially if you are someone who loves solitude or who likes to be always on the go. Life definitely slows down with kids, while the chaos is amped up several degrees. Yet, if you are open to the changes, kids make life so much more full and so much more worthwhile than life without them.

These blogs embody that fullness for me. They are full of sun-drenched moments, with families enjoying each other and women being moms, but also women, with their passions, causes, friendship collectives, art and design interests.

So, without further rambling, here are my top three mommy blogs of the moment, in order of discovery. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

There is a reason that Joanna can live off of her blog, in NYC, no less. The prose and content rival that of well edited magazines. The photos are always exquisite. The topics are related to the big and small aspects of womanhood that are completely worth pausing over while enjoying your morning coffee - from relationships to simple lifehacks. Some of my favorite series include the one about beauty uniforms, in which she interviews interesting and lovely women around New York about their beauty and self-care routines. Her motherhood around the world series is fascinating and beautiful. Also, any of her articles about traveling with kids is well worth a read for great travel tips and new locations to try.

Her style is a bit more stream of consciousness than tightly edited prose, yet her content is so addicting. The photographs always make me wish that I had there been there to witness the moments of joy and stillness. The content is always thought-provoking, if a little wordy. I devoured months of her blog from 12-2 am last night and I don't really regret being so irresponsible. Plus, I kind of want to live in her RV, or as I call it, her tiki lounge on wheels.

Why I love her: judging by her headings, we have some of the same interests and because she made "hair" a category all its own on her blog. When you are a mother of mixed children, it's that serious. Also, with a little creativity and a lot of style, she has made a home for 4 out of 650 sq ft.

Our sitting area is a cozy space, with floor seating and a big red rug. Every once in a while I think, maybe we should switch out the colors, make it more modern and bright. But recently I have been seeing red all over the place and I'm falling in love again.

I think the missing element is more pink. I think it's the pink and red combination, instead of our current brown and red that is really drawing me in. Scroll for more inspiration below.

Another design element that I'm loving is the rustic vibe. Probably, because it is the opposite of what is currently going on in our home. Our walk up was built in 2012. It's beautiful, with wood floors and curved archways, but it is certainly not old or rough around the edges. I want to run away to the tree house below, even if it's just for the weekend.

The rise of social media and e-markets, like Etsy has led to an amazing trend - people are buying and making hand-made things again. It's easier than ever to source things from abroad, but even here in the US a generation of "makers" and "creatives" is on the rise. One thing I see all over Pinterest and Instragram, among the many beautiful and unique things that I love, is hand-thrown pottery. Some artists that immediately come to mind are Stephanie Adams, of Pickle Pottery and the husband and wife team behind A Question of Eagles.

Here are some examples of their incredible work:

VIA PicklePottery.com

VIA PicklePottery.com

Via aquestionofeagles.com

via aquestionofeagles.com

You can find A Question of Eagles products on their website. Pickle Pottery's items are a little harder to track down. Her items on Etsy sell out almost immediately. However, you can contact her through Etsy. You can also find her at various craft's fairs in California. You'll have to stalk her on her facebook feed, tho.

At the moment, all of the above products are a bit outside my price range. So, I contented myself with a pair of these mugs in turquoise...